MFT Academy: How-to Add Grounding to Your Images

Welcome back to the MFT Academy! Inge is your Guest Professor today and she’ll be showing you how to use Prismacolor Premier Pencils to ground your images in mud, grass, water, and snow. Grounding your images gives your card a more finished look and ensures that your images don’t appear to be “floating”.

If you’re not familiar with Prismacolor Pencils you can find an introduction to working with Prismacolor Premier Pencils here.

Begin by drawing scalloped lines to the left and right of her feet using 943 Burnt Ochre.

Step 2: Dip your paper stump into solvent and blend the scalloped lines slowly using a circular motion. If you’re not familiar with how to blend Prismacolor Premier Pencils, you can read more in THIS MFT Academy Tutorial.

Step 5: Next, we will add blades of grass using 1005 Lime Peel. Make small, upward vertical strokes to draw in the grass. Give the grass a more natural appearance by not drawing them identically to one other. The blades should be assorted lengths and thicknesses to give the ground a more realistic feel.

Step 6: Using 1097 Moss Green, draw in additional strokes of grass between and on top of those you’ve already drawn.